


Bitter, Not Sweet

by Fawn4Life



Series: Road To Redemption [1]
Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Chariox - Freeform, Charoix, F/F, Gen, angst angst angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-09
Updated: 2017-07-09
Packaged: 2018-11-30 00:52:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11452578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fawn4Life/pseuds/Fawn4Life
Summary: Chariot often wonders why her and failure go hand in hand.





	Bitter, Not Sweet

There’s a taste in the back of Chariot’s mouth when she sees Croix for the first time in ten years. It’s bitter and acrid, but not unknown.

Failure was something she was intimately familiar with.

Akko’s smile is nothing short of blinding as she introduces them to each other, and Chariot can barely manage a smile back as aqua eyes bore into her like twin drills. A bead of sweat trickles down the side of her face, hastily wiped away when Akko’s gaze turns back to Croix, whose eyes are taunting.

Her stomach is churning, the urge to throw up growing ever stronger.

“Professor Ursula? Are you alright?” Akko’s voice is laced with concern. “You look rather pale.”

“I’m fine, Akko.”

She really isn’t.

“She’s right, _Ursula_.” The subtle mocking tone flies past Akko, but Chariot can’t help wincing. It was foolish to hope that Croix wouldn’t recognize her. “If you’ll excuse me, Akko, I’ll see Ursula back to her quarters.”

Croix is in front of her in two quick strides, one arm wrapped around her waist just a tad too tight to be comfortable. Adjusting her glasses, Chariot murmured her thanks, bidding Akko goodbye. At least her favorite student would be away from Croix for the time being.

With a cheery wave and a “feel better, Professor!” Akko is gone, skipping down the hallway.

“Well now, _Ursula_ , shall we?”

Time has done wonders for Croix, it seems, because where once they were the same height, now Chariot found herself stumbling to keep up with the other woman’s longer strides. Try as she might, Chariot can’t help but notice just how warm Croix’s hand on her side is.

Just like before.

An empty classroom is their destination, and as soon as they reach it Croix is stepping away from her, leaving Chariot feeling cold. Clearing her throat, she tilts her head up to meet Croix’s steady gaze. “What are you doing here?”

A low laugh makes the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. “I could ask you the same thing, Chariot. Disguising yourself? Don’t you think that’s a bit much? I mean…” White teeth flash in a predatory smile. “I get why you would. After that last… incident.”

She flinches, and Croix’s smile widens.

Bitterness seeps onto her tongue, soon replaced with something more metallic as she bites the inside of her cheek to keep from snapping.

“How does it feel, Chariot? To be replaced by someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing? Who doesn’t have the faintest idea of the power they wield?”

“Croix-”

“It hurts, doesn’t it.” The words are practically spat out, and Chariot takes a step back as if slapped. “Oh yes, it certainly stings. Knowing that you weren’t good enough. That you _failed_ at the one thing you dreamed about.”

Chariot blinks, and it’s like Croix is ten years younger. Long lilac hair and the same angry -hurt- sea foam eyes that haunts her every waking moment.

“I never meant to…”

She hadn’t. Truly she hadn’t.

She blinks again, and the vision was gone. Croix is still there. Still standing before her with a smug look of satisfaction on her face.

“That doesn’t erase the fact that you _did_ , Chariot. You did, and you still failed at reviving the seventh Word. You lost Claiomh Solais, and now this… child has to do what you couldn’t.” Croix’s lips pull back in a sneer. “You know why I’m here though. I’m here to obtain the world reconstruction magic. I’ve been observing you for months. And Miss Kagari, of course.”

Chariot starts at that. “You leave Akko out of this!”

“She involved herself the second she started looking for the Words.” Broad shoulders shrug carelessly. “If you had kept your mouth shut about them, she wouldn’t be in this situation.”

Gritting her teeth, Chariot can feel the heat as the tips of her hair spark red. “I said leave her out of this, Croix!”

“Let me think about it… No.”

Chariot lunges.

There’s a brief second where she can enjoy the surprise in Croix’s eyes -a decade away seems to have made her forget just how impulsive Chariot could be- before she’s tackling the other witch to the ground. Her advantage is short lived, however, as Croix slams a knee into her gut and steals her breath away.

Gasping for breath, Chariot finds the world flipping on her before her back hits the ground. The air leaves her lungs in a painful whoosh.

Her wrists are tugged above her head in an iron grip, and Chariot stares upwards at Croix’s amused expression. “Really, Chariot?”

“Seemed like a good idea at the time,” she grumbles under her breath.

A soft touch to her cheek has her blinking in surprise. For the tiniest moment, Croix’s face is open. Unguarded. “This certainly brings back memories, doesn’t it?” There’s no sign of mocking in her tone, just a hint of nostalgia.

Warmth rushes to Chariot’s cheeks unbidden, mind already turning back the clock to memories of her pinned under Croix for an entirely different reason. “… it does, yes,” she breathes out finally. All the years away from Croix, and yet her body still craves her touch.

“It doesn’t have to be like this, Chariot.”

But it does. She can’t allow Croix to unseal the Grand Triskellion and possibly doom the entire world.

Aqua eyes flicker to her lips, and for a split second, Chariot thinks they’ll kiss. She hates how much she wants it, and hates it even more when Croix pulls away. The walls come down between them again, and suddenly she’s all too aware of the aches and pains of being tossed around once more.

“Croix…”

The weight on top of her is gone, but it still feels like she’s suffocating.

“Don’t try to stop me. It won’t end well for you.”

Footsteps tap along the stone floor, and Chariot can hear the door open and close. She’s not sure how long she lays there staring at the ceiling.

There’s bitterness on the tip of her tongue.


End file.
